Taylorsville police get OHV

Taylorsville Mayor Russ Wall, right, takes the Polaris Ranger for a test drive near the police station along with detective Scott Lloyd.

The Taylorsville Police Department has a new weapon to fight crime.

Thursday, the department unveiled its new Polaris Ranger six-wheel drive, off-highway vehicle. The $12,000 vehicle, which was obtained through a special award from the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, will be used primarily for enforcement along the Jordan River Parkway.

Taylorsville police Sgt. Rosie Rivera said officers have been trying out the new vehicle for the past few weeks and already it has been responsible for capturing a serial tagger who caused graffiti problems all summer for officers. And it also was used to catch a person responsible for four vehicle burglaries, she said.

Police Chief Del Craig said that unlike bicycles, the six-wheel drive vehicle can be used to transport injured people out of areas not accessible by regular cars as well as transporting emergency resources in and out of secluded regions.

"We want to make sure runners, joggers and anyone else who uses the parkway is safe," Rivera said.

The six-wheeler, which has a top speed of around 50 mph, has also been equipped with red and blue police lights and a siren.